It truly is estimated that more than one million adults within the UK are currently living using the long-term consequences of brain injuries (Headway, 2014b). Rates of ABI have improved considerably in current years, with estimated increases more than ten years ranging from 33 per cent (Headway, 2014b) to 95 per cent (HSCIC, 2012). This improve is due to various aspects including improved emergency response following injury (Powell, 2004); far more cyclists interacting with heavier visitors flow; elevated participation in dangerous sports; and larger numbers of quite old persons inside the population. In accordance with Good (2014), essentially the most popular causes of ABI in the UK are falls (22 ?43 per cent), assaults (30 ?50 per cent) and road site visitors accidents (circa 25 per cent), though the latter category accounts for a disproportionate number of far more serious brain injuries; other causes of ABI involve sports injuries and domestic violence. Brain injury is far more prevalent amongst guys than girls and shows peaks at ages fifteen to thirty and over eighty (Nice, 2014). International data show related patterns. One example is, in the USA, the Centre for Disease Control estimates that ABI impacts 1.7 million Americans every single year; youngsters aged from birth to 4, older teenagers and adults aged over sixty-five have the highest rates of ABI, with males far more susceptible than females across all age ranges (CDC, undated, Traumatic Brain Injury within the United states of america: Reality Sheet, accessible on the internet at www.cdc.gov/ traumaticbraininjury/get_the_facts.html, accessed December 2014). There is certainly also growing awareness and concern in the USA about ABI amongst military personnel (see, e.g. Okie, 2005), with ABI rates reported to exceed onefifth of combatants (Okie, 2005; Terrio et al., 2009). While this short article will focus on existing UK policy and practice, the concerns which it highlights are relevant to many national contexts.Acquired Brain Injury, Social Operate and PersonalisationIf the causes of ABI are wide-ranging and unevenly distributed across age and gender, the impacts of ABI are similarly diverse. A number of people make an excellent recovery from their brain injury, while other individuals are left with substantial ongoing troubles. Additionally, as Headway (2014b) cautions, the `initial diagnosis of severity of injury is just not a reputable indicator of long-term problems’. The possible impacts of ABI are well described each in (non-social work) academic literature (e.g. Fleminger and Ponsford, 2005) and in personal accounts (e.g. Crimmins, 2001; Perry, 1986). Even so, given the restricted interest to ABI in social function literature, it is actually worth 10508619.2011.638589 listing a few of the widespread after-effects: physical issues, cognitive troubles, impairment of executive functioning, alterations to a person’s behaviour and changes to XAV-939 cancer emotional regulation and `personality’. For a lot of people with ABI, there will probably be no physical indicators of impairment, but some may encounter a selection of physical troubles including `loss of co-ordination, muscle rigidity, paralysis, epilepsy, difficulty in speaking, loss of sight, smell or taste, fatigue, and sexual problems’ (Headway, 2014b), with fatigue and headaches being particularly widespread right after cognitive activity. ABI may perhaps also trigger cognitive issues such as difficulties with journal.pone.0169185 memory and reduced speed of information processing by the brain. These physical and cognitive elements of ABI, while difficult for the person concerned, are somewhat effortless for social workers and other individuals to conceptuali.